New York City
by global.soul.08
Summary: Of all the places and of all the people, why did Tommy run into her here? Slight mention of addiction. ONE SHOT


This is just a one-shot about Tommy and Kimberly. Not a ship, just what I think should happen with their relationship and so forth. There IS a mention of Hayley/Tommy ship and Kim/OC ship, but it's not all that important to the overall plot. I don't own anything and am certainly not making any money, so please don't sue. Set just after Dino Thunder. Parts of Kim's story are completely AU, so if you don't like them, sorry. Please leave a review and tell me what you think!

New York City. 8.2 million people. How the hell did he manage to see her? Tommy laughed at himself over the entire situation. Here he was, in a Starbucks on 42nd Street, on lunch break from the National Paleontologist Convention he was attending and who should he see sitting in the corner but Kim Hart. Kim hadn't recognized him, but he knew her instantly. He vaguely remembered the last time he'd seen her. It had been three years after what he thought would be the end of his Ranger Career. He hadn't talked to her, she had been with Jason and Rocky, but he clearly saw that she was in bad shape. He didn't know if it was drugs or an eating disorder or something else, he didn't ask Jason or Rocky, and they had only said that she was 'having some issues,' but she didn't look and certainly wasn't healthy. Jason later told Tommy that she hadn't been all right, but was getting help. He didn't go into details, and Tommy didn't want them. Now, though, Kim did look healthy. She also looked happy, something she definitely hadn't the last time he'd seen her. After ordering his coffee and finding a seat near Kim, Tommy began reading a newspaper. He glanced up at Kim. She seemed to be concentrating on something on her laptop.

"This is crazy," Tommy whispered to himself as he stood and walked over to her. "Kim?" he said in what he hoped sounded like a surprised voice.

"Yes?" She looked up, clearly confused. After a moment though, it dawned on her. "Tommy? Tommy Oliver?"

"Yeah, how are you? What have you been up to?" Tommy sat down on the chair facing her. She reached up and closed her laptop.

"I'm good. I opened a gymnastics gym last year and am beginning a fashion line here in the city, hopefully premiering this fall. How about you? What are you in the city for?"

"Oh, I'm good. I've been busy. Jason recently moved to Reefside and so I'm working when I can at his dojo and I'm teaching science. Oh, and I'm sure you've read about the weird troubles California has been having this past year, and how the Dino Thunder Rangers have been very helpful," he looked at her, willing her to understand.

"Really? I had heard about that. I'm sure that must keep you on your toes. You know, having to watch out for battles and such," Kim picked up on his meaning instantly. "Have you been moonlighting?" she asked quietly, smiling when Tommy nodded. "What color?"

"Black, a new one for me," Tommy laughed a bit. "I'm not going to aim for pink if this happens again, though. That's all yours."

"You still crack me up, Mr. Oliver. Oh, and you didn't answer me, why are you in the city?"

"Firstly, it's Doctor now, not Mister, but I'm in town because there's this big paleontology convention going on. I think Aisha and Rocky said that they told you that I earned my doctorate in paleontology from MIT a few years ago. Funny thing is, now, even with a doctorate degree from MIT, I'm teaching high school science. But it's the only job I'd want. It's so fantastic. What about you? How long have you lived in the city?"

"I've been here for about two years now. I moved here with Eddie."

"Who's Eddie?" Tommy asked.

"Oh," Kim's voice grew soft, "Eddie Taylor. He's my husband. We married three years ago. He helped me get my life back together after…" she trailed off, apparently knowing that Tommy had seen her on her trip to Angel Grove and assuming he knew all about what had happened to her and what was going on in her life to make her take that trip, "Tommy, I'm so sorry…"

"No, no. Congratulations," Tommy smiled. He couldn't deny he felt a pang of jealousy, but not as strong as it had been before. It was his first hint he was no longer in love with her. "And Kim, there's nothing to be sorry about. He's your husband, you're happy, and that's great. Plus, he seems good for you. What does he do?"

"It just wasn't very polite to just say that to you, though," she looked back at her coffee. "He's an engineer. And he's not the one," she referred to the guy she'd left Tommy for, "But enough about me, I'm a boring topic. What about you? Are you married yet?"

"No, but I'm dating this woman, Hayley. She's really nice," Tommy thought about his girlfriend back home. He didn't mention that she was a MIT grad, he just told Kim what she needed to know.

"I'm glad to hear that," Kim lightened up a little.

Tommy looked down at his watch. "Oh, damn, is that really the time?" he panicked. Kim looked at him and chucked a bit. "What's so funny?" Tommy playfully glared at her.

"You're still late to everything, Oliver," she said through her smile.

"Touché," he laughed. "Look, I gotta go. It was great running into you." He stood to leave.

"Yeah, great to see you too, Tommy," Kim smiled and shook his hand. "Before you go, though, I Just want to say that I'm sorry, for everything," she vaguely referred to the letter, "I just…"

"It's all forgiven. Are we cool?" Tommy grinned at her.

"Yeah. Have a good life, Tommy Oliver," Kim smiled, gathered her things, and left Tommy standing alone in the Starbucks.

With that simple phrase, Tommy knew he would never see Kim Hart or Kim Taylor again. But, he realized, that was ok. He was glad to see that she was back in control of her life and that she would be fine. And he didn't need to be her white knight anymore. His heart hadn't skipped beats like it used to when she said his name, when they shook hands, he felt no magic connection, and when they had talked they had been friendly and not romantic. Tommy smiled and left the coffee shop and essentially the former girl of his dreams. He had Hayley waiting back in Reefside for him, and she was now the girl of his dreams. It was strange; he realized that he hadn't been all that shocked by the marriage, and that he had actually been happy for her. And then it dawned on him: he had finally gotten over Kimberly Hart, his first love and the original Pink Power Ranger.

And that was good news.


End file.
